NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio – The North Ridgeville of today bears little resemblance to the community settled more than 200 years ago by brave men from Waterbury, Conn., who trekked into the wilderness area of Ridgeville Township in the spring of 1810.

The first group of settlers were 14 men, mostly from the Terrell and Beebe families, who risked their lives to cross hundreds of miles and set up houses to prepare for their wives and children. The first pioneer wife, Electa Terrell, arrived later in 1810.

The region was rough, thick forests and swampy wetlands, which were drained by farmers and developed for agricultural use. Even now, certain low-lying areas of the city are still prone to flooding, a legacy of that geography.

It was three years before Ridgeville was organized as Ridgeville Township, a name that remained until 1958 when it was renamed North Ridgeville Village. By August of 1960, the village's population of more than 5,000 people meant that the township could become a city and North Ridgeville was born. A new City Council was formed along with a new police department and the fire department was expanded.

In 1829, long before the name was changed, the township's post office was renamed the North Ridgeville post office to differentiate it from the town of Ridgeville near Dayton.

Early churches were established in 1822 for Presbyterians, 1825 for Methodist Episcopalians and 1875 for Roman Catholics. Ten school districts were built in the 1850s. Early businesses included a grist mill, a saw mill, a cheese factory and quarries, soon followed by blacksmith shops, general stores and a chair factory.

The first permanent town hall was built in 1850 and was in use until 1883 when a new, much larger, town hall was built for an estimated $12,000. The new building was a two-story, brick structure 42 feetby 64 feet long with a foundation cut from Amherst sandstone.

"When the Ridgeville Centennial was observed in May of 1910, the Town Hall was the scene of many speeches, historical orations, and a general gathering of long-time residents and friends marking the township'sfirst century," according to the North Ridgeville Historical Society's website. "During World War I, the Red Cross women met at the Town Hall and spent countless hours sewing for the 'doughboys.' "

Town Hall, now known as City Hall, was remodeled and expanded several times. In 1975, the government offices were moved from the old building to the current City Hall on Avon-Belden Road.

Stagecoach lines started in the 1820s and thrived until phased out by steam railroads which came through the area in 1853. A trolley system linking the township to Cleveland was opened in 1895 by the Cleveland and Southwestern Company, which lasted until 1931 when cars became popular.

Up until World War II, North Ridgeville was mostly a township of farmer, but that changed after the war when baby boomers left the city for the suburbs. This led to the growth spurt that caused the township to become a village in 1958 and a city in 1960. The population of the city has continued to grow ever since, with a current population of more than 31,269 and growing.

The city encompasses 25 square miles and is the largest and the most populated city in Lorain County.

Jeff Sigsworth, president of the North Ridgeville Historical Society for the past 25 years, said today the city once known for farmers has few.

"There are some in the south and the west end of the city," he said. "But most are gone as the city expanded."

"The city has come a long way since the agricultural era," Sigsworth said. "We have a lot of small and medium sized businesses. We have to keep increasing the infrastructure to keep up and go full steam into the 21st century."

Fortunately, the historical society keeps a window open to the city's past.

"There are people interested in history, mostly older people but some young people as well, who come to our open house and events," he said.

The society operates a museum on the first floor of the Olde Town Hall, 36119 Center Ridge Road, which is open the last Sunday of every month but December from 2 to 5 p.m. The society also operates the one-room schoolhouse at 5064 Road, which is open the last Sunday of the months of May through October from 2 to 5 p.m.

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